


The Suthay Chronicles Chapter 12: A Minor Setback

by Vicsvinny



Series: The Suthay Chronicles [14]
Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Argonians (Elder Scrolls), Cyrodiil (Elder Scrolls), Dunmer (Elder Scrolls), Gen, Khajiit (Elder Scrolls)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:54:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26316028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vicsvinny/pseuds/Vicsvinny
Summary: Worry not the setback. It is a mere obstacle on the path towards one's Destiny
Series: The Suthay Chronicles [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1817335





	The Suthay Chronicles Chapter 12: A Minor Setback

**\------Next Day | Bruma | 8:12AM------**

“Khajiit hates the bitter cold..” Taz mumbled as she hugged herself to stay warm in the cold air.  
“Hey. I’d rather take the snow over scorching hot ash any-day of the week. At least with the snow you don't go blind from getting it in your eyes”  
Taz grunted  
“Khajiit are not meant for the cold.”  
Mirian looked over at Taz, enveloped in a thick fur coat.  
“So what, is all that fur just for show then?”  
Taz just coiled her tail around her leg and pressed on without another word.  
"Did i say something wrong?" Mirian asked, keeping up pace with the Khajiit  
"No. It's just that _'Khajiit'_ is not translated in your tongue to _'Desert-Walker'_ for no reason.."  
"Oh I get it. Well, sometime soon, let's go to Hammerfell. Or back to Elsweyr. Someplace warm."  
Taz glanced over at Mirian, and at the pathetic semblance of a smile on the Elf's mouth.  
"Perhaps. But I don't know.."  
"We've spent years in this province. It'd be nice to go elsewhere for a change." Mirian said, glancing at the Nordic architecture and of the people surrounding them.

It was a particularly chilly day today. The overhead sky was blanketed in dark clouds, heralding the coming of a nasty blizzard.  
Taz and Mirian had woken up somewhat early today, for they had some errands to run.  
Most notably they needed to stock up on supplies for the trip to Cheydinhal.  
Mirian had joked that they should go to Skyrim. But Taz was quick to shoot that notion down. Saying that Winter down here was bad enough.  
Also Taz’s quiver was running empty on arrows. That three week journey from Anvil to Bruma wasn’t light on dangers for them to face.  
So, Mirian and Taz were taking a nice, pleasant stroll through Bruma in the glacial conditions, looking for a general store.  
Bruma was the one city where neither of them spent any length of time in. Apart from Nords and some rugged adventurers, barely anyone wanted to stay this far north for any great length of time. Or so, that's what the two believed.

Mirian peered over at Taz.  
If it were any colder, her whiskers would have icicles hanging from them.  
“So.. We're going to bring up the mammoth in the room?”  
Taz looked over  
“What?”  
“Y’know. You and Haxal”  
Taz tail spiked for a second, then she nervously chuckled  
“I.. Uh.. We..”  
Mirian held up a hand  
“I saw you two cuddling on the balcony yesterday morning.”  
Taz shivered. Both from the cold, and of nervousness  
“It was cute. I had figured that there was something between you two”  
“You have?”  
Mirian nodded  
“Of course. The evidence was there. You were absolutely wrecked with regret when you drove him off. The look in your face when he came back.. I’m happy you two had decided to hook up”  
Taz held a peevish expression  
“You're.. not angry with This One?”  
Mirian looked back over  
“Of course not. I’m not begging for your affection. You’ve told me time and again that you're just not interested in other women. It’s not for me to force you to like someone just because it’s how I would have wanted it. I'm happy for you Taz.”  
Taz grinned and brushed up against her  
“Thank you”

“Now you know what you need to do right?”  
Taz glanced at her  
“What?”  
“You need to find a nice, romantic spot watching the sunset. And have a passionate night of love-making. _Just the two of you_ "  
Taz shoved Mirian away  
“MIRIAN!!” She exclaimed  
The Dunmer snickered  
“What? You're gonna have to do it at some point in your life. One of the reasons why people date each-other in the first place right?”  
“Maybe to you. Perhaps not to Khajiit”  
Mirian playfully waved off Taz as they approached a storefront

_‘Colovian Mercantile and Trade’_

Going in, they were wafted with the warming sensation of a freshly lit fireplace.  
The store itself was decently sized and relatively organized and tidy. Much nicer than what Mirian was expecting from a Nordic shop.  
Hung up on the wooden walls were various trophies and pelts from several different types of creature ranging from Wolves to the fierce Sabre Cats.  
Mirian peered up at a pelt from one of the sabres, before looking back at Taz  
“Hey. Does that unnerve you at all?”  
She pointed up at the pelt  
Taz crossed her arms  
“Why? Because Taz has a beautiful pelt?”  
“Alright, it obviously doesn't. It was just a joke”  
Taz raised a brow as she kept her stare on Mirian  
The Dumer looked away and carried on into the store, only to be noticed by the shopkeep as he emerged from the backroom  
“Ah Customers! And so soon after the store opened. Please, take a look around, I’ll be here in case you need me”  
“Actually, Yes. I’m looking for a few things..” Mirian said as she approached the front counter, while Taz wandered off to look around  
The shopkeep, an average looking Nord. Blond wavy hair, blue eyes and a beard fashioned into a knot stood behind the counter, watching the Dunmer approach him  
“We just came from Anvil. And, we’re running low on basic supplies”  
“Ah, Anvil! I heard some bad tidings from that city. Do you know what happened?”  
Mirian tensed up for a second, then let her calm and cool exposure take over  
“Yeah. Apparently some cultists managed to infiltrate the city and murder the court nobility. Including the Baron and Countess”  
The Nord stepped back in shock

**“NO!”**

Mirian nodded grimly.  
“That’s terrible. I thought the Thalmor installed a garrison to ensure something like that doesn't happen!"  
“Maybe they weren’t expecting cultists, and just usual bandits?” Mirian shrugged  
“Makes you fear for the Count Skjald here in Bruma. Is nowhere safe?”  
“Skjald? Is the Count a Nord?”  
The man nodded  
“Indeed. It’s been somewhat of a tradition for the Count of Bruma to be of Nordic descent for.. A few centuries now..”  
“I always thought that since Bruma was in Cyrodiil, it’d be a lot more Imperial..”  
The man chuckled  
“Maybe back in the reign of the Septim bloodline it was. But ever since, more and more of my kin arrived and settled down. If it wasn’t for the border and that damn Civil War, I’d dare say that Bruma would be as much a part of Skyrim than it is in Cyrodiil.”  
He then stood back and looked upon the Dunmer, and of the Khajiit drifting from shelf to shelf in the back  
“Saying that. I don’t tend to see many Dunmer, nor Khajiit this far north.”  
Mirian shrugged her shoulders  
“Yeah we get that a lot. Taz back there likes to envision us as _‘Adventurers.”_  
“That would explain it. Not too many of the city folk would choose to travel this far north. Too cold and rustic for their prissy tea-drinking britches. Now, you said you needed supplies?”  
Mirian held up a hand as she looked over the man's shoulder at a large skull hanging proudly upon the wall behind the counter  
“Hold on.. Is that a _Dragon skull??”_  
The man chuckled  
“Heh, deceiving ain’t it? No, it’s a fake. But there is a funny story behind it..”  
"Ooooohhh tell me. And spare no grisly detail" Mirian replied with a grin  
The Nord chuckled  
"Very well lass. It all started when I visited Whiterun 10 years ago..."

Taz had been wandering from shelf to shelf aimlessly, waiting for Mirian to finish negotiating with the shopkeep.  
The Elf was always better with her words than Taz was. For some reason, a lot of people she comes across finds it somewhat strange and possibly disconcerting that she keeps switching between first and third person when she talks.  
Honestly, Taz barely even recognizes that she is doing so. Only when Mirian or Haxal bring it up in dialogue does she notice. Not every Khajiit has such a speech impediment. However she does. And it's doubtful it'll be going away anytime soon.  
As she went from stock to stock, she gazed upon various items and gear befitting of a general goods store this far north.  
Anything from common kitchen utensils, to rope, camping gear, basic tools, and even kindlepitch.  
She turned round a corner, and came up to a large crate, holding within various pelts. Used for crafting and fashioning together clothing  
She peered in, noticing many different furs.  
Wolf, Mountain Lion, Sabre Cat..  
Then something caught her eye  
She reached in, fumbled around, then pulled out a white pelt about as big as her  
It was very soft to touch and pleasing to the eye, it being undoubtedly high quality.  
The only thing wrong with it was..

_It was Khajiit fur_

Taz threw the pelt on the ground in shock, holding her hands against her chest as she stared, unmoving down at it  
She knew that there were sick fucks out there who would capture and kill Khajiit, purely for their pelts.  
But.. To see one of her kin's pelt.. Skinned and thrown into some box of other pelts to be peddled off and sold with nary a thought, nor without the buyer’s knowing as to what they actually held in their hands..  
Taz then clenched a fist, grabbed the pelt and stormed up to the counter

Mirian and the Nord were both laughing  
“Leave it to an Orc to take ‘N’wah’ as a compliment!”  
They were both too preoccupied in their merriment to notice Taz storming up, until she practically threw the pelt at the man

 ** _“Renrij’a draj’ik!_** Explain yourself!”

The man paused and looked down at the pelt on his counter  
Mirian glanced over at Taz, and saw the anger in the cats eyes  
“Uh. Is there a problem?” The Nord asked cautiously  
Taz started to growl at him  
“Taz. What’s the issue? That’s nothing but a fur pelt” Mirian questioned  
“It is **KHAJIIT** fur” Taz announced  
Mirian shot the man a look  
“Khajiit fur? I assure you I have no idea what you're talking about. It is from a mountain lion is it not?”  
Taz kept her low growl  
“I know my kin's fur when I see it.”  
Mirian looked between the pelt, and at Taz’s head, which was the only exposed part of her body presently with all the layers of clothes she was wearing. But, remembering on past mental images, she could see the connection  
“I thought selling Khajiit fur was illegal” She said, standing beside Taz  
“It.. It truly is Khajiit fur?” The Nord muttered in reply  
Taz slammed her hands onto the counter  
**“YES!!! HOW DARE YOU-”**  
Mirian gently pulled Taz away from the counter  
“Cool yourself there tiger.”  
Taz’s snarl bared the side of her fangs, so Mirian positioned herself in between the pissed off Khajiit, and the Nord who looked wholly confused and shocked

“Honestly. I thought it was from a mountain lion. Not Gods-forbid Khajiit! Please, you must believe me. That Bosmer told me so!”  
“What _Bosmer?”_ Taz questioned with a spark of aggression  
"Taz calm-" Mirian tried to settle Taz down, when the Nord held up a hand  
“No. It’s quite alright. If I tell you, can we all just calm down?”  
Taz gave a huff, however she relaxed her posture somewhat  
“Speak then”  
Mirian didn’t know what to say. She doesn’t see Taz this serious and angry that often. If she hadn’t stepped in, Taz looked like she would have actually pounced over the counter and attacked him, if that ‘look’ in the cats eyes was anything to go off of..

“Ok. So, there was this Bosmer who came in last week. The moment she came in, I knew she was from out of province. She was covered in armour fashioned from bones, hide and dotted with strange carvings. Her face was tattooed in some type of tribal paint from the looks of it. And she didn’t speak Tamrielic all too well.”  
“Did she strike you as a huntress?” Mirian asked  
The man nodded  
“Exactly! Ain’t most Bosmer supposed to adhere to some.. ‘Pact’ or something?”  
Mirian nodded as well  
“Yes. The _‘Green Pact.’_ They cannot waste anything from whatever they kill. That goes for people too.”  
She glanced back at Taz  
_“And walking, talking bipedal cats”_  
Taz snarled faintly  
“The Bosmer told me that she was in a rush, and to just give her whatever for the pelts, along with some bones. When I offered her any food supplies, she shook her head, took the coin I paid her, and then left in a hurry.”  
Mirian turned back to Taz  
“See? Perfectly reasonable explanation. Some Wood Elf killed a Khajiit, probably a bandit, had to do something with the pelt so she sold it off. Not sure if that is something you can do with the Pact, but...”  
_“Drenameri athranzoh..”_ Taz muttered quietly  
Mirian patted Taz’s shoulder comfortingly  
“Sorry about all that. Taz has a beating heart for her people, and seeing the pelt of one of her own upsets her greatly.”  
The Nord shook his hands dismissively  
“Don’t worry about it. Came as a shock to me that I’ve had Khajiit fur in this store. Gotta keep my eyes peeled better in the future. Look, to show there’s no hard feelings I’ll give you a discount on what you need.”  
Mirian grinned at him  
“Great. Because I’ve got a list to go through.”

**\------Later that Day | 3:00pm------**

“Here I am.. With my girlfriend..” Haxal muttered to himself, as he glanced around at the wooden buildings, and the towering spires of the cathedral rising proudly above the snowy rooftops and smoking chimneys to his left.  
His wandering gaze then rested on Taz, strolling beside him.  
He always thought she was cute when she wore a hood. Something about the tip of her snout poking out when you looked at her from the side.  
When her and Mirian returned from the general store, Taz complained how her tail practically became an icicle.  
In fact, it took some convincing on his part to get her back out here at all.  
Taz doesn’t like the cold. She says Khajiit aren’t made for the snow and frost. However, he had told her that since they’re dating, perhaps it would be nice to go for a stroll around town. Just the two of them. They can chat, laugh, share stories..  
None of which had happened yet. They’ve been wandering for 15 minutes, with no words spoken. Felt like they were strangers almost..

“Awfully quiet today huh?” He said, trying to break the silence  
“Khajiit is cold. Hungry. Thirsty..”  
“Then let’s get something to eat”  
Taz shook her head  
“Mirian spent most of our money. We need to conserve what little we have left”  
“What? I thought we had at least a few hundred. What’d she buy?”  
“Salted food for the trip. Arrows for Khajiit. A spell book. Some enchanted ring.”  
“A spell book and a ring?”  
Taz nodded  
“A book of conjuration, and a ring to help with her fire magic..”  
“Ah. I can see why we’re so low on funds. Well.. There has to be some way to get you fed.”  
She peered over at him  
“What about you?”  
“I’m not hungry. I thought you had lunch though”  
“A bit.. Just vegetables and grape juice..”  
She stuck her tongue out in disgust  
“Well.. Hows about we check at the cathedral? They normally have hand-outs going on right?”

Taz lowered an ear under the hood  
“I don’t want to seem like a beggar..”  
“Nonsense. There’s nothing wrong with accepting charity. Besides, we don’t have the money to go and buy something lavish for the three of us anyway. And what food we do have we need to save for traveling”  
Taz gently nodded  
“Ok. But you said you're not hungry, so I get it all for myself!”  
She turned and brandished a toothy grin  
“Hey now, wait a sec. This is a mutual relationship we have. Sharing is what couples do-”  
Before he could finish his sentence, a snowball pelted straight into his face  
He paused, wiped the snow from his head, then stared forward at Taz as she stood in place, aiming for another attack. Once more, with a fang-filled toothy grin.  
Her tail had a faint, yet excited wag to it as she waited for his reaction.

“Oh your in for it now!” He exclaimed and dove towards a mound of shoveled snow to the side of the road.  
Taz threw a snowball, just narrowly missing him as he hastily packed a ball together, got up and pitched one at her  
She jumped back, letting the projectile impact harmlessly against the back of her coat  
“Ha! Direct hit!” He called out  
Taz laughed and flung a hastily packed lump of snow at him, missing him by a longshot as another ball came hurtling towards her  
"Hey! What's with your aim Tazzie? I thought you were the archer of the group!" Haxal called out, before out of nowhere he was struck directly by another snowball  
"Ha! Khajiit missed before on purpose!"  
"Oh sure! You say that every-time you miss your shot?"  
Several passersby remarked the two Beasts engaging in childish games with disdain, but neither Haxal nor Taz cared. They were having fun. And damn what others think of them.  
Haxal crouched down and scooped up a handful of snow, packed it together and leapt up  
**“DODGE THIS!!”** He called out, and hurled the mass of snow at her  
Taz shrieked and dove to the ground, letting it pass over her, and straight into a robed figure who just emerged from a shop behind her  
A loud ***THWUMP*** sounded as the clump of snow beamed directly into the figure and he staggered forward from the unexpected attack.  
Taz shot a worried look back at Haxal, as the man slowly turned and glared back at them both

**“WHO IN DAGON’S NAME THREW A GODS DAMN-”**

The robed figure peered up from under his hood, revealing to be a Khajiit  
Taz and Haxal both stood frozen as he regarded them both with clenched fists.  
Haxal stepped forward  
“Sorry. That’s my fault. See, my friend and I were having a snowball fight..”  
The Khajiit gave Haxal a half-hearted glance then looked back at Taz, where he then paused as if he just saw a ghost.

 _“Khijhaan?”_ He spoke out loud after the sudden pause

Taz darted her eyes around, before pointing at herself  
"Me?"  
The Khajiit nodded and took a step closer, while giving her a close look-over.  
“Uh.. That is This One. Yes.”  
He then ran forward, holding his arms out in a hugging motion  
**“SWEET BAAN DAR! IT IS YOU!!”**  
Taz remained wholly confused and slightly nervous as the Khajiit embraced her fully  
Haxal returned to her side, tapping the strange cat on the shoulder  
“Uh, excuse me. She’s very conscious about hugging. I’d advise you to back off.”

The Khajiit took a step back, before clearing his throat  
“I apologize. But.. Khijhaan, do you not remember me?”  
Taz shook her head  
“Alright.. Perhaps this may help..”  
He lowered his hood, and grinned at her  
Taz’s eyes lit up in realization almost instantly  
_“K’zhar!!”_  
She hugged him abruptly afterwards  
“There it is.” He spoke delightedly and held her affectionately back.  
“K’zhar?” Haxal questioned, regarding the male Khajiit, who was hugging his girlfriend with great suspicion  
Taz stepped to the side of K’zhar, holding an arm around his waist  
“Haxal! This one is my cousin, K’zhar!”  
K’zhar gave a courteous head-bow  
"Pleased to meet you, Haxal."  
The Argonian looked over at the other Khajiit, who was certainly of a different breed than Taz. As he stood a head and shoulder taller than her. And he wasn’t as house-cat-like as her. In fact he looked more like a mountain lion. He was probably Cathay-Raht.

“You’re related to Taz?”He asked  
K’zhar nodded  
“Yes! I haven’t seen little Ts’razzie-wazzie in years!”  
“I told you long ago to stop calling me that!”  
Taz punched his arm playfully  
“You hit like a Breton. But regardless, yeah. It is so nice to see you again.”  
Taz and K’zhar then did some weird handshake thing with both their hands and tails. Haxal guessed that it was either some familiarial thing, or some weird Khajiiti custom.  
“What have you been doing all this time Ts’razzi? You were a lot more fluffy than when I last saw you in Dune. And.. is that a piercing??”  
Taz wiped his hand away from her hair as he was inspecting her ear piercing and ruffling through her hair.  
“Yes. It is. This One has been living the life of an Adventurer! And has made great friends along the way!”  
She then jumped over to Haxal and hugged his waist  
“Like Haxal. _We’re dating”_  
Haxal felt so awkward and tense right now as K’zhar regarded him with dubious suspicion  
“YOUR dating Ts’razzi..”  
He nodded

K'zhar wandered over and leaned down to speak into her ear  
“Hey Ts’razzi.. You do realize he’s like.. Taller than you right?” He whispered  
Taz stepped back from Haxal  
_“EVERYONE’S taller than me._ What’s your point?”  
K’zhar took one more look at Haxal, before shaking his head with a grin  
“Ah it’s nothing. I’m sure he’s perfect for you. You always were the hesitant one about relationships”

“So.. What are you doing in Bruma? ‘Tis not a city for Khajiit after all” Taz asked, still remaining at Haxal's side.  
K’zhar folded his arms  
“I'm traveling south from Skyrim. I'm studying up at the College in Winterhold."  
“That’s great! But.. Why are you down in Cyrodiil?” Taz asked with a bright smile  
"Oh just doing some research. I'm due to join with a Synod expedition team as they delve into an Ayleid ruin somewhere by Chorrol. The ancient magics of the Elves would assist me greatly in some fields of research the college has me working on"  
“Do you know many forms of magic?” Haxal asked  
“A bit. Back home, I was always told that I was _‘gifted’._ I uh.. Set fire to the barn one time when Taz and I were younger.”  
Taz giggled  
“Uncle Timanan! I make fire!” She spoke in a childish tone  
**“HOLY ALKOSH K’ZHAR!! I JUST FINISHED THIS HARVEST!!”** He replied to her, upon which they both laughed  
_“Ahnurr_ was furious at you for weeks.” She said to him  
“Oh I know. He still never lets me hear the end of it. Over the years I learnt to hone my magicka, however there’s only so much the local college in Dune can get you. What with certain.. _complications_ with the disbanding of the Mages Guild. So I struck out for Skyrim, joined up with the College, and here I am”  
He then looked between Taz and Haxal  
“So what are YOU two doing here?”  
“We’re on an adventure.” Taz exclaimed joyfully  
“Yeah. We just came from Anvil, after narrowly avoiding the catastrophe that occurred down there”

“Oh yeah. I heard some nonsense went down there. Glad to see you two made it out safely. But why not stop at Chorrol?”  
Taz shrugged  
“It wasn’t my idea to keep going to Bruma…” She grumbled  
“We travel with a third companion. Her names Mirian” Haxal chimed in  
“She wanted to see the snowy north..” Taz muttered angrily, while kicking a small mound of snow to vent her frustration.  
“Ah yes. And Ts’razzi hates the cold eh? You sure seemed to be enjoying yourself a moment ago..”  
Taz crossed her arms and glanced away  
“This One.. may have gotten carried away with Haxal..” She replied  
K’zhar laughed  
“Well.. I must be going. My partners will be waiting outside the gate. Wouldn't want to keep my escort waiting."  
“Good luck!” Taz said, giving her cousin a another big and affectionate hug  
He returned the gesture, before bidding them farewell once more, and left towards the front gate

Taz held a dreamy look as they watched him hurry away  
“Nice guy” Haxal remarked  
“Really nice. Khajiit would totally date him were he not family”  
Haxal looked down at her  
“Really?”  
Taz chuckled  
“Of course not. She has you!”  
She turned to walk back to the tavern  
“Besides. He prefers females who are not Khajiit”  
“Oh. I see..” Haxal muttered as he followed alongside with Taz  
“What a stroke of luck though, huh? To meet up with family this far away from your home”  
“Yeah.. It is..”  
He looked over at her  
“You sound troubled”  
Taz’s hood lowered with her ears  
“I miss my family..”  
“Why don’t you go visit them?”  
“I could.. But I promised that I would return with something great. I haven’t found anything great”  
“You found yourself a guy.” Haxal quietly said to her  
One ear raised under the hood upon hearing that, then it quickly fell back down  
“Yes.. But my father wouldn’t think great of it”  
“He wouldn’t approve of me?” Haxal replied  
No it’s not that. It’s more of.. I can’t have litter with you. He wants grandchildren.."  
“Ah. I see. He wants the lineage to continue huh?”  
Taz nodded  
"I am his only child. My mother told me that she can't have any more litter.."  
“Sounds like you're in a predicament then huh?”  
Taz didn’t give any reply for a second  
“I didn’t want to think about this..”  
“It’s alright. We’ll work through this. _Together._ ”

Taz just shivered in reply  
“Let us get out of the cold no?”  
“Definitely. Think Mirian is done packing up for tomorrow?”  
“Hopefully..”

**\------Later That Night------**

_“Murderer”_

Taz awoke abruptly, only to be met with the familiar dark void she had dreamt of previously.  
The same void that she was brutally killed in..  
She curled up in fear, and looked around for any sign of hope.. Though in vain, for she knew that if this was like last time, she was in for a nightmare of pain and horror.  
She smacked herself, hoping to wake herself up, though the more she would hit herself, the more pain was inflicted, until she stopped, and panted heavily on the cold ground.

_“Thief”_

The voice sounded again. It was familiar, yet unknown to her..  
She tried looking around again, as a creeping feeling of dread slowly began to envelope itself around her

_“Heretic”_

**“JUST GET IT OVER WITH ALREADY!!”** She cried out, only to be met with silence  
She curled up into a ball and whimpered. She cried. Even as she felt shadows move in the void, surrounding her. She kept crying. It was all she could do.  
Why was she the subject of this torment? She knew it was a dream, yet it felt real. It seemed real. She thought as if it was real. 

**“Renrij’a”**

Slowly she raised her head, staring forward in rasping terror as her eyes opened to the dark red robes of the cultists of Convent, and her rattling gaze rested lifted upon the cowled heads of her tormentors.  
As always, they’re faces were obscured by a thick cover of shadow. However this time, each cultist had two glowing red eyes beneath the shadow. Glaring down at her with what could only be described as a supernatural spite.  
Held in the right hand of each was an ebony black dagger, pointed towards her

 **“KILL ME!”** She called out and prostrated herself before them

However to her surprise, she felt two cold, bony hands grip themselves onto each of her arms, pull her back up onto her feet, and pinned her to a wall.  
She felt chains enclose themselves around her wrists and feet, and she was fastened in place, so she could only watch in horror as the cultists gathered before her.  
One stepped ahead before the audience, both of its hands folded forwards under the long robe.

 **“Utrokuvona”** It said in a familiar Khajiiti tone

Taz’s ear twitched

**“Dorr Kas var darka”**

It then stepped solidly towards her, drawing the ebony dagger, until he stood towering over her

 _“Kador Ta’agra?”_ She muttered meekly

There was a sudden gust of bone-chilling wind, sweeping past the cultists.  
In the wind, the thing hulking over her had his hood blown off, revealing to be a Khajiit.

_K’zhar._

Taz’s eyes and heart shrunk as she saw her cousin grasping a dagger over her  
“No! Your fake! I’m DREAMING!! **YOU CAN’T HURT ME!!”**  
K’zhar’s cold, otherworldly eyes met hers

 _“Trass kiir dov aydith”_ He muttered ominously, before driving the dagger straight into her chest

Taz felt the blade pierce directly into her heart, and of the scores of blood pouring out from her chest as the dagger was violently yanked out, snapping the heart off of the veins, and torn free with it.  
The chains then released suddenly, letting Taz collapse like a stone to the ground  
A sudden emptiness filled her.. Not unlike having a vital organ ripped from your body but.. Something else.  
Something irreplaceable.. Something like her soul. Gone. Forever lost to her..  
K'zhar turned to address the brood gathered before him.

_“Born on the blood of the innocent. We transpire unto Death Anew. Behold, for a Reckoning Comes. And none shall stand to bear witness.”_

K’zhar then turned back to Taz, and almost instinctively she felt a sudden surge of fleeting energy to lift her bloodied eyes to meet his

“Not even from those we consider family”

And with that, all went black. And Taz felt no more pain.

**\------Next Day | 9:30am | Bruma Outskirts------**

_“The Flame Atronach is a species of lesser Daedra, who embody the element of fire. They possess slender, female bodies made entirely out of scorching flame. Loose pieces of black, molten rock cover them like armour. The lower half of their ‘head’ is shaped as a lower jaw, and 2 swept-back horns with a trail of fire serves as the rest of the head, or possibly to be the ‘ears.”_  
“Weird.. Why is it that Daedra often resemble people? Aren’t they like.. Demons?” Haxal asked, looking over at Mirian as she held her Conjuration Spell Book on the Flame Atronach.  
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s a form of intimidation. I mean.. The fact that you're fighting a being of pure malice and fire is scary enough. But now imagine fighting that creature, only it resembles a buxom woman in a way..” She replied  
Haxal shrugged  
“Yeah, alright. What else does the book say about them?”  
Mirian flipped the page  
_“The Flame Atronach is a dangerous adversary, preferring to keep its distance and hurl firebolts at their adversaries. Simply being struck by a firebolt from a Flame Atronach is enough to cause severe or sometimes even fatal burns. and is also capable of completely engulfing the poor soul in flame, only dissipating shortly after the victim perishes in a fiery inferno.”_  
Haxal grimaced at the thought of being set alight by such a creature  
_“Victory does not often end in the creature’s defeat either. Should the Atronach be bested, it will often explode in a massive explosion of scorching flame, burning and setting alight anything near them. And should their adversary already be weakened from the prior engagement, it can and most likely will be enough to end fatally.”_  
“They sound dangerous. I hope we don’t run into any..” Haxal remarked  
Mirian closed the book and tucked it into her backpack  
“We probably won’t. Atronachs are fairly rare to just find wandering around. Unless they are summoned by mages or bound to Mundus, Daedra prefer to stay in Oblivion and out of the mortal realm.”  
“Have you ever used an Atronach before?”  
Mirian pondered the question for a second.  
“A few times. But it was always for very niche things. Like cracking open a scroll to summon one in order to hold off pursuing foes, or this one time when I summoned a Frost Atronach in order to.. Uh.. _‘Get revenge’_ on some upper-class asshole. I tossed the scroll of summoning in the room, and locked the door. There was not much left but gore and viscera splattered along the walls."  
“Oh Gods. That sounds awful”  
Mirian peered over at him

 _“He deserved it,_ Haxal. Trust me.”

“How so?”  
Mirian paused in her thoughts for a second  
“He.. He just did. Not that it matters now.. That was years ago”  
Haxal gave a dissatisfied grunt  
“You know, I don’t wish to overstep my boundaries but.. I can’t help but feel a sense of.. Timidness around you. Almost like there is more to the Dunmer I’m looking at than of what I can see.. Like your hiding something from me. I thought we were friends and comrades.”

Mirian’s visage devolved from her neutral exposure, to one of stone-cold seriousness. However not once did she make the move to say anything, nor do anything besides locking eyes with him.  
Haxal kept staring at her, however he felt a clear sense of concern, knowing that he truly had struck a thick nerve with her. He could practically see the murder in her eyes.  
However, after a few more seconds of silent staring, Mirian looked away and her neutral expression had returned.  
“Your worried because your suspicions are true Haxal.” She muttered quietly  
“You uh.. You're not angry? You seemed pretty intense for a second there.”  
Mirian looked back over at him  
“I was measuring you up. Making sure that I can trust you. Looking for weakness or a timid nature. Something my people are pretty good with, noticing the subtle signs and shifts of frailty in others. And well.. _You passed.”_  
Haxal felt a slow, quiet and comforting breath of relief leave him  
“Can you keep a secret? A big one?”  
“Sure” He shrugged  
Mirian’s intense look returned  
“I’m serious. Look me in the eyes and say you can”  
Haxal was now worried about just what she was wanting to tell him. Who the hell is this woman?  
“I can” He said with as reassuring as a nod that he could muster in his growing trepidation  
Mirian breathed out a deep breath  
“That guy I locked in a room with a Daedra was.. _A contracted target._ I was assigned to kill him.”  
“A target? Assigned?”  
He took a step away from her and his scales lost all colour  
“Are.. Are you **DARK BROTHERHOOD????”**

Mirian smacked him across the face  
“KEEP YOUR DAMN VOICE DOWN. No, I’m not with the Dark Brotherhood. In fact I was once an enemy of those N’wahs.. No, I was with the Morag Tong. Dunmer-only assassins. I used to serve the province in killing those that people wanted dead. Like, _REALLY_ dead.”  
Haxal nodded once. That.. Really wasn’t too bad. He was expecting to hear much worse. Like she used to be a cultist for some murder-rape deity or such.  
“Most of the time it was _**‘For the good of Morrowind’,**_ but some of the contracts I got was just to satisfy someone’s lust for murder, blood and sadistic pleasure”  
She took another breath  
“And instead of letting the employer get the satisfaction, I indulged MY sadistic pleasure. In the worst ways you could imagine..”  
“Oh?” Haxal muttered  
"Have you ever choked someone to death with their own tongue Haxal? Listeneing to their muffled screams and gagging as your cramming it down their throat and stick needles into-"  
"Ok, ok, ok I get the idea... Gods damn woman.." Haxal gave her a skeptical look, bordering on the lines of being disgusted.

Mirian peered up at Taz, pacing ahead of them. Her hooded head hunched over and hands in the coats pockets, watching her tail brush to-and-fro in the snow.  
Taz had another nightmare last night. A bad one too. She had barely said anything, nor ate all morning.  
“Look.. I was fucked up. All I ever knew in life was blood, violence and sex. I was exiled from the Morag Tong because I took my sadistic tendencies way too far.”  
“Are you still sadistic?" Haxal questioned, following her now at a safe distance.  
She shrugged with a heavy sigh.  
“I don’t know. I really don’t. I think I'm not, or that I’m improving. I’ve had time to rethink who I am.”  
She peered back up at Taz again, and a smile formed upon her lips.  
“I think that meeting Taz might’ve been the best thing that could’ve ever happened to me. She understands me. Helps me. In a way, she nurtured me back to health.”  
She then looked at Haxal  
“I think that’s why she was so quick to forgive, and fall in love with you. In a way, you two are alike.”  
Haxal watched Taz ahead of them  
“You think so?”  
“Of course I do. And.. I also think that right now, she needs you more than ever.”  
She glanced away shyly  
"I.. Need you. I'm deeply indebted to that cat. I cannot stand watching any harm come to her. Physically and mentally. And right now, she needs you to tell her that it's ok, and we're here for her."  
Haxal gave a compliant nod  
“Go to her. And uh.. Thanks. For hearing me out”  
She gave him a gentle hug, then shoved him forward after Taz  
Haxal patted his chest, clearing his throat and calmly approached her.

“Hey. Tazzie” He said  
Taz made no response, just kept her pace  
“Hey, you uh, still hung up on the nightmare?”  
He went up and kept pace beside her  
Taz noticed and glanced over at him  
“Yes..” She muttered  
“Wanna talk about it?”  
She looked away  
“What good would it do. They say that dreams aren’t real, and can’t hurt you. But, it does. It hurts, and feels real.”  
She whimpered faintly  
Haxal wrapped a comforting arm around her, and gently pulled her up against him  
“I’m here for you. We can work this out together”  
Taz sniffled, before giving a nod  
Haxal listened to her breathing calm down, before feeling a small amount of pressure applied to his leg  
He glanced down, only to see that Taz had coiled her tail around his leg.  
He looked over at her  
“I dreamt of the cultists again, Haxal.. They killed me again.”  
“Did it hurt in the dream?”  
She closed her eyes and nodded  
“But.. In this one.. The one that killed me was my cousin K’zhar..”  
“The one we met yesterday outside the Chapel?”  
She nodded again  
“It looked just like him. Spoke just like him.. Smelled just like him”  
She huddled up against him, hugging his waist, while tightening her tails grip on his leg  
“I’m scared Haxal.. I don’t think these dreams are natural”

Haxal gently patted his hand on her shoulder  
“Doesn’t Mirian have nightmares every now and then?”  
Taz nodded  
“But she’s much stronger than This One. She can deal with them. I can’t”  
Haxal gave her a firm, yet secure look  
“That doesn’t matter Taz. You two are different, yet you rely on each other. You're the caring and responsible one. Willing to look past things, and forgive. Which is what Mirian needs, for she is the more unstable and in need most of your love and care. She looks to you for guidance and safety. She isn't the sadist she used to be, but she still isn't sure on whether she's sane.”  
Taz lifted an ear under her fur hood and peered over at him  
“You know?”  
Haxal nodded  
“Yeah. She just told me.”  
“Are you.. Mad that we didn’t tell you sooner?”  
There was a moment of silence  
“No. When Mirian was telling me it all, it seemed obvious that she wished to keep that part of her past a closely guarded secret. I can understand why she wouldn’t want to go around praising it that she used to work for the Tong. And, well, like I said. You're the responsible one. If she didn’t want her secret to get out, then your the perfect one to keep it hidden”  
Taz grinned and hugged him  
“Thank you Scales”  
“Hey. No problem. It’s what I’m here for”  
She squeezed his waist and pressed her body against him  
Haxal looked back at Mirian, who was reading through her spellbook again. However he noticed the very subtle wink she gave him.  
It was only with a sudden squeeze on his hand did he notice that Taz was grasping his hand tightly, while snuggling herself up against him.  
“You're not worried anymore?” He asked her gently  
She shook her head as it pressed against him  
Haxal breathed a contented breath. 

This felt good. He had cheered up Taz, was holding her soft, furry hand and walked in pace with her as they began their journey down to Cheydinhal.  
It was at Mirian’s request that they traveled to Cheydinhal, so she could feel what it was like to be around her people, and in extension, that of Morrowind once again. Or this would be as close as she could get to that. For several reasons, she wasn’t allowed back in her homeland. Which was now abundantly clear to Haxal.  
So far, the skies were merely cloudy and only sprinkling a light flurry of snow upon the land. However the weather was always subject to change instantly..  
With his mind at ease, he looked back down at Taz, as she had snuggled up with him.  
She looked so cute when she was showing affection..

“Hey! Guess what this says!” Mirian said excitedly, catching up to them while still holding the spell book in her hands  
Taz just swished her tail at the Dunmer in reply  
“What is it?” Haxal asked  
Mirian purposely shoved herself in-between the two lovebirds, separating Taz from Haxal’s waist, which prompted a low growling emitted from the feline  
Haxal held a grin as Mirian flipped through the pages to recall a page she had read recently  
“Look here. It says that even though the Flame Atronach is a commonly summoned Daedra, there are also several different variants. Some possess different abilities and forms.  
She then turned the page to reveal a few coloured sketches of different types of Flame Atronachs.  
One appeared to be covered in a full-suit of the molten rock-like armour, while being surrounded by an aura of flame  
Another looked very feminine in appearance, while having more recognizable pieces of armour positioned across it's body.  
And one appeared to be covered in a type of blue flame.

“The Daedric Prince Molag Bal is said to possess a unique variation of the Flame Atronach within his ranks, originating within a pocket realm in Coldharbour. The Daedric realm of Molag Bal. It is said that their fire is immensely hot, while being bone-chilling cold at the same time”  
“How does that even work?” Haxal asked  
“I don’t know. It’s the Daedra. They aren't from this world. So perhaps they don't need to make sense for us?” Mirian replied  
Haxal didn't know if that was a fair point or not. But it seems unlikely that something can be hot, and cold at the same time.  
“Does that book actually tell you how to summon one? Or is it just detailing lore about them?”  
“It does both. Have you never read a spellbook before, Haxal?”  
He shook his head  
Mirian slammed the book shut and held a finger up as she explained.  
“Most Credible spell books often spend a good length of it’s pages explaining what is known about the spell. It’s origins. It’s applications. And the level of a mage required to be able to cast it properly”  
“What kind of level is required to summon a Flame Atronach?”  
“It said Apprentice-grade at the very least.”  
“Can you summon one?” Taz asked quietly  
“No. It takes practice. It’s not like I could just snap my fingers and-”

The moment when Mirian snapped her fingers, she felt a sudden flurry of energy course throughout her body. A sharp tingling sensation reverberated throughout her veins.  
She watched as time seemed to slow to a halt, and various glowing blue lines transcribed itself upon her sight, connecting the lines of magicka coursing throughout her soul until they all connected and her eyes were blinded for a fraction of a second, and time resumed .  
And just before them, a rift in reality tore itself into the world, summoning a Flame Atronach before the trio.  
It gave what sounded like a feminine roar as it emerged from another dimension, then turned it's head and silently regarded the mortals before it.  
The group froze in place, after witnessing Mirian summon a Daedra in front of them  
Mirian then glanced at her hand with stupefied astonishment  
“Wow..” She remarked faintly  
The Daedra looked between them with it’s flaming, yet graceful hand and hovered in place. As if it was awaiting orders or direction.  
A warming wave of heat emanated from the creature, and the snow beneath it had melted away almost instantly. Showing the grass beneath.

“Uh.. Hi?..” Haxal muttered to it  
The Atronach turned as if to inspect him with it’s non-existent eyes, but made no further movement.  
“Atronachs cannot speak. Or, at least they cannot communicate verbally with us in a way we’d understand” Mirian remarked, pacing around the atronach with a scholarly curiosity  
"Can it understand us now?"  
The group looked upon the demon, waiting for a reponse.  
The Daedra remained hovering in place. Watching them back with what looked like astute suspicion.  
“How long does it stay summoned?” Taz asked, warming her paws on the heat coming off of it  
“Depends on the skill of the mage. With my luck, probably no more than another 15 seconds.” Mirian replied, taking a step back to admire her apparent adeptness at magic.  
The atronach did a twirl in the air, before a sudden flaming crackle sounded, and sparks began to fly off of the creature.  
The trio took a step back as the Atronach began to hiss, and in one hand a fireball was formed  
“MIRIAN IT’S HOSTILE!!” Haxal shouted  
Mirian went to draw her sword, when the atronach pitched the firebolt past them, and it flew off into the treeline

A few seconds later, the wailing screams of a male sounded, and an Orc, dressed in varying furs came running out of the bushes, engulfed in flames  
**“I'M ON FIRE!!!!!”** He screamed before diving into a mound of snow  
The group all watched as he frantically attempted to extinguish the flames, shortly before a haunting war-horn sounded in the forest  
“Uh.. Mirian?” Haxal muttered upon hearing a horde of voices and roars arise within the forest.  
Shortly afterwards, a horde of Orcs erupted from the shrubbery, holding crudely fashioned weaponry in the air as they roared a ferocious battle cry  
The group all drew their weapons, as the Flame Atronach released a series of loud hisses and wailing growls before open firing with firebolts into the attacking Orcs.  
“I THINK YOUR ATRONACH PISSED OFF SOMEONE!” Taz yelled over the roaring of Orsimer  
“NOT NOW TAZ” Mirian yelled back as she stressed her hand, forming a firebolt within  
The Atronach had fallen back and took up a position in front of the group, it’s fiery form now taking on a deeper, almost magma-like appearance. It was clearly angry.  
Taz fired off an arrow, Mirian shot forth a bolt of fire, and Haxal steeled himself, assuming a defensive posture as the raving band of Orcs closed the distance. Blood-rage in their eyes.  
"Orcs are vicious, yet clumsy fighters! Stay quick on your feet and dodge their attacks!" Mirian yelled out as the first Orc steam-rolled towards her, a greataxe held in his brutish green hands

Mirian gripped the sword in her hand, before diving forwards onto the ground, missing the wide swing from the axe, until she was able to propel herself upwards, sinking the sword deep into the brutes neck, whereupon she ripped the blade out, cleaving a considerable gash in the thick muscle  
The orc collapsed onto the snow, staining it a deep crimson red  
Mirian readied herself, and catapulted back, narrowly dodging the attacks of a berserker, swinging two mace-heads at her in a brutish fashion.  
Taz was the one to claim the kill, firing an arrow that pierced straight into the back of his exposed head  
The Orc collapsed forward, spraying out onto the snow, however Mirian wasn’t given the chance to catch her breath as two more Orcs stormed towards her  
Haxal was preoccupied with being Taz's shield and battering away his attackers. There seemed to be no end to the Orcs, they still poured out from the bushes and trees along the side of the road.  
It was a wonder how they weren’t completely overwhelmed. But just by how these Orcs were stampeding out of the trees and throwing themselves into the group's weapons, it showed they had little care or perhaps lacked the capability for any form of higher tactics.  
That is, until a long, thick spear screamed it’s way past Mirian as she narrowly avoided getting her skull caved in by a mace.  
She took a cursory glance back at the spear that very nearly stuck her, then back at the forestline, where she saw several Orcs emerge, aiming their throwing spears at the trio.

“Taz!” She shouted out, meanwhile shoving an Orc past her, summarily driving her sword into the back of it’s head  
**“SPEARS!! KILL THE THROWERS!”** She yelled out again, this time looking over to make sure Taz heard her  
The Khajiit rose a hand in affirmation and readied an arrow, pulling back the bowstring and aiming at the spear-throwers in the bushes as they emerged like moles.  
Mirian was brought back to the battle as she was thrown to the ground and pinned by a particularly large and ugly Orc

 **“YER GUNNA BLEED LIKE A STUCK PIG!”** He bellowed foul-smelling spit in her face while raising a crudely hammered iron sword

Mirian went to raise her weapon, only for the Orc to stomp on her hand  
She cried out in pain, and just as she was certain death would come for her, the Orc tensed up and let loose a scream, then fell over with a large spear impaled in his spine.  
Mirian shoved the body off of her, and swung back up on her feet  
She gave a quick glance over at Taz and Haxal, only to see they weren’t where she last saw them.  
However, she did see two Orcs charge headlong into the trees and bushes where they once were, so she had some hope that they were still doing fine..

**_ “DARK ELF SWINE” _ **

A harsh, bellowing voice rang out over the sounds of battle  
Mirian’s attention was brought to a massive and muscular Orc, wielding a massive flail in one hand, and pointing directly at her with a mailed fist.  
He was geared in a suit of crude orichalcum armour, and covered in various pelts and bone-like decorations.  
His head was covered by a concealing helmet and mask, made to resemble that of an enraged boar.  
He was obviously the chief, or the leader of this group of marauders  
The other Orcs seemed to have halted their attack, and stood off to the side to witness their chief do battle with the Dunmer  
**“ALL YOU WHELPS BACK OFF. I WILL KILL THIS WENCH MYSELF”**  
Mirian took a deep gulp and stepped back a little as the Orc began his menacing stampede towards her, swinging the flail in an intimidating fashion.  
**“TAZ!! HAXAL!! HELP!!!!”** She cried out, but received no response

 **“NO ONE'S GUNNA SAVE YOU, ELF!”** The Orc roared out, stopping a short distance from her, spinning the huge flail like it was a rubber ball.

Mirian still kept her distance, when a sudden firebolt struck into the side of the towering Chieftain  
He glanced over at the Fire Atronach, giving a long-winded hiss as it spurred up another firebolt.  
The Orc gave a roar at it, and stepped out of the way as it firebolt soared past him, striking one of his peons behind him.  
The Orc screamed and ran off, while burning alive.  
The Chieftan grunted as he watched the Atronach wind up another firebolt.  
However the heroic actions of the Daedra was cut short as an orc, dressed in black leather ran up behind it, and with one swift move, slit the flaming neck of the Daedra clean off with an enchanted blade  
The atronach fell flat into the snow, and vanished back to Oblivion amid an explosion of flame. Taking several nearby Orcs out with it.  
The Chieftain didn’t even seemed to have been fazed by the first firebolt, as it now glared intently back at Mirian

_“Come at me. Daughter of Dres."_

Mirian gasped, and the whole world seemed to halt to a standstill.  
She looked back at the Orc, not with anger nor shock, but rather she was amazed.  
How could he, of all things and creatures know that she was Dres?

 **“I’M WAITING YOU BITCH! FIGHT ME AND DIE LIKE THE COWARD YOU ARE!** Or, perhaps you are still Father’s Little Girl?” He called out to her again

Mirian’s bewilderment devolved into a blind fury, upon mentioning that she may still be her father’s bitch.  
She screamed and ran at the Orc. 

The Orc showed no signs of fear, nor surprise at the Dunmer’s sudden fury. Rather a wide and snarky grin formed on his rigid face, as he swung the flail at her  
Mirian dove under the flail, rolled through the snow underneath the Orc's massive frame. She then reached down onto her waist and swiftly unsheathed the silver dagger concealed under her clothing, whipping it out and drove it deep into the Orc’s exposed under-thigh  
But no pained screams, nor annoyed grunts sounded, and next thing she knew, was a blinding and forceful strike along the back of her head, which threw her off her feet and sent her soaring through the air.  
She forcefully smacked her head against a trunk, and lay slumped in the snow. Tiny snowflakes collected on her bloody head as she raised her dazed and hazy sight to meet the Orc, towering over her. Flail in hand  
“Mediocre and pathetic Dres. You dare call yourself an Assassin?”  
“KILL THE BITCH!! KILL THE BITCH!!” Nearby Orcs yelled out  
The Chief looked back at the crowd gathered around him  
“All of you Whelps gather witness how weak and pitiful these _‘superior races’_ are! All of them! Men and Mer, they think they’re better than us all! Treat us like barbarians and animals. They strike first! They terrorize us instead!”  
The Orcs hurled out a whooping cheer as the Chief turned back to meet Mirian’s struggling stare, and threw her bloodied silver down onto the snowy turf just before her

“Brother Sirius shall be most pleased when he hears of your defeat”  
Mirian’s sight faded as she caught the glimpse of a spinning flail.. Then she felt nothing more than a sharp and severe sting of pain. Followed by a sudden explosion of searing heat. Then nothing more as she felt herself descend into an endless black void…

**\------Sometime Long Ago------**

It was a cold and stormy dusk..  
Mirian was sitting cross-legged on the bed. Reading a book she had recently picked up from the store shortly after they had arrived in Bravil.  
She really did not want to stay in this shithole of a city, but it wasn’t up to her on what to do. Seeing as how she was contractually obligated to tag along with this caravan. And stay in whatever city it arrives at for the night.  
She had rented out the best room in this crappy town, which wasn’t saying much; Seeing as how this room was made out of rickety wood, and the bed had splinters and rough, woolen blankets.  
She swore in her mind that this wasn’t the best inn in Bravil.. There had to be a place that had linen blankets. And room service.  
However she couldn’t do much further searching as a sudden and violent thunderstorm had rolled in, pelting the city in torrents of rainfall and booming thunder.  
She listened as the thunder rumbled outside, and sheets of rainfall struck the window, then calmly flipped the page in her book.  
She had picked up this book which piqued her interest upon reading the cover.

_‘The Brothers of Darkness’_

Back in her time with the Morag Tong, most if not all she had learnt of the Dark Brotherhood were altered reports, and stipulated biographies altered to make the Brotherhood look like pussies compared to the Morag Tong.  
She never really attempted to learn anymore than what her _‘Brothers and Sisters’_ told her.  
She was essentially brainwashed by the Tong anyway back then. She let her young and vulnerable state be indoctrinated into the perfect killing machine. She truly was nothing otherwise back then. Learning about anything else, other than to find new and inventive ways to murder someone, or sleep with someone was of no interest to her.  
However, since she wasn’t as stupid and gullible anymore, she decided to look into this book. She assumed that this account wasn’t as biased as some may believe. But it’s a hell of a lot less one-sided than what she would’ve learnt of before..

_The Dark Brotherhood sprang from a religious order, the Morag Tong, during the Second Era. The Morag Tong were worshipers of the Daedra spirit Mephala, who encouraged them to commit ritual murders. In their early years, they were as disorganized as only obscure cultists could be due to there being no one to lead the group, and as a group they dared not murder anybody of any importance. This changed with the rise of the Night Mother._

Mirian paused after reading that.  
The Dark Brotherhood originated from the Morag Tong?  
Is that why the rivalry is strong and why the Tong always thought the Brotherhood were beneath them?  
She knew little on who the _‘Night Mother’_ is, or was. Just that she is supposedly the Matron of the Brotherhood, and spokeswoman of Sithis.  
She kept reading with a glued interest now

_All leaders of the Morag Tong, and then afterward the Dark Brotherhood, have been called the Night Mother. Whether the same woman (if it is even a woman) has commanded the Dark Brotherhood since the Second Era is unknown. What is believed is that the original Night Mother developed an important doctrine of the Morag Tong, the belief that, while Mephala does grow stronger with every murder committed in her name, certain murders were better than others. Murders that came from hate pleased Mephala more than murders committed because of greed. Murders of great men and women pleased Mephala more than murders of relative unknowns._

Mirian must’ve made Mephala a very happy Daedra then..  
Also, the fact that every leader of the Morag Tong were called ‘Night Mothers’ is news to her. They must’ve stopped sometime before her employment. She’s never heard of that tidbit before.

_We can approximate the time this belief was adopted with the first known murder committed by the Morag Tong. In the year 324 of the Second Era, the Potentate Versidue-Shaie was murdered in his palace in what is today the Elsweyr kingdom of Senchal. In a brash move, the Night Mother announced the identity of the murderers by painting “MORAG TONG” on the walls in the Potentate's own blood._

Mirian chuckled. She’s done similar things like that before. Good times..

_The important distinction between the Dark Brotherhood and the Morag Tong was that the Brotherhood was a business as much as it was a cult. Rulers and wealthy merchants used the order as an assassin's guild. The Brotherhood gained the obvious rewards of a profitable enterprise, as well as the secondary benefit that rulers could no longer actively persecute them: They were needed. They were purveyors of an essential commodity. Even an extremely virtuous leader would be unwise to mistreat the Brotherhood._

Now the rivalry began to make sense. The Brotherhood split off and became competition.  
Not only to Morrowind, but also to all of Tamriel. The Brotherhood became better at killing people and making a profit doing so.  
Mirian should’ve hooked up with the Brotherhood. Perhaps then things today might be different for her. Damn.  
Her attention shifted from the book to the door as it creaked open and the drenched form of Taz shambled in

“Hello Taz” Mirian said  
Taz just lifted her head, letting the water drip off her hood like miniature waterfalls  
Her expression was that of self-loathing.  
“Khajiit hates the rain” She said as she slammed the door shut behind her.  
Mirian grinned and reached over, holding up a towel.  
“C’mere you. I’ll dry you off”  
Taz went over and stood next to the Dunmers bed, letting Mirian take off her coat and wrap the towel around her  
“You look kinda cute when your wet” Mirian remarked, only to be met with a gutteral snarl from Taz  
She chuckled, and plunked back down in her bed  
“Did you find out what exactly we’re supposed to do tomorrow?” She asked  
Taz shook her head, and gripped the towel tighter  
“No. The company building is closed, along-with most of the city”  
Mirian gave an inquisitive grunt as she picked her book back up and searched for the last page she was on  
“You’d think that some rainy weather wouldn’t be too much of a bother around here”  
_“Draj’kal rawl”_ Taz muttered and finished drying off as best she could.  
Drying off with a towel was a lot slower than shaking excessively, or cleaning herself. But if she were to do either of that, then Mirian would never let her hear the end of it.

Content that she wasn’t going to get any dryer than she was with a towel, she sat on her bed next to Mirian’s, reached into her backpack and pulled out a small paper bag  
As she opened the bag, the room was filled with a sweet, sugary scent  
Mirian looked over  
“You Still have some Moon Sugar left over?”  
Taz nodded and pulled out a small crystal-like substance, then held it up in the candlelight, as if she were inspecting it for any discrepancy  
Mirian had diverted her attention from the book, in order to watch Taz thoroughly examine this little crystal-like drug.  
“Where do you even find this stuff? Isn’t it illegal?”  
Taz finished her examination, and clasped it up in her paw-like hand  
“Yes” She muttered back  
Mirian placed her book on the nightstand and shuffled to the edge of her bed

_“Can I have a bit?”_

Taz gave her an almost bewildered look  
“Why?” She asked  
“Well. Why not? You eat that stuff on a weekly basis. It’s an _ADDICTIVE DRUG_ isn’t it?”  
“To you. Yeah”  
Mirian folded her arms  
“You know that I used to take drugs on a weekly basis. To help with my previous profession right?”  
Taz sighed  
“Why do you want some, Mirian?” She asked again, reaching into her backpack once more, and pulled out a covered bowl of what was presumably soup  
“I’ve never had Moon Sugar before. I want to see what it’s like. Khajiit think it’s a ‘Holy Substance.’ Well, I want to see what it’s like to have a taste of the Gods”  
Taz gave her a firm stare, then sighed and held out her arm, crushing the small crystal in her hand into tiny pellets and powder  
Mirian swiped the remains of the crystal into her clasped hands, then she stared at it. Not knowing what to do

“What do I do with it?”  
Taz removed the lid from the bowl and sprinkled a small amount of powdered Moon Sugar into the meat-filled soup.  
“Eat it. Smoke it. Make Skooma. Put it on your food”  
Mirian glanced back at the sugar in her hand, then with a deep breath she stuck as much as she could into her mouth and chewed  
Before her senses had time to react to it, she noticed Taz was staring at her, her mouth held ajar slightly  
Mirian kept chewing and swallowed what was in her mouth. The weird thing was, her taste buds and senses hadn’t cued in yet..  
“What?” She asked Taz  
“When I said ‘Eat it’ I didn’t mean put the whole fucking thing in your mouth!”  
“Why not-”

Mirian was interrupted mid-sentence as her senses suddenly exploded with a wave of conflicting flavours, scents and euphoric sensations.  
Her head became a befuddled mess of euphoric delight, and pained migraines.  
Her sight spun and swirled, making her see double and vibrant colours all around.  
Her mouth became a hotbed of sweetness. Too sweet for her to properly process at once as saliva rushed out in between her chattering teeth  
“Da...Dat...Wha… What th… Hall.. Fuck. Shi... Is.. Happen..”

Taz shook her head disapprovingly  
“Clawless shaveskin…” She muttered and proceeded to eat her _lightly seasoned_ soup, while Mirian took her sweet time to chitter and spin ontop of the blankets, before she began making coherent noises once more  
Taz glanced over after finishing off her soup.  
“Never eat that much raw moonsugar, you stupid Mer” Taz nonchalantly said to her  
Mirian felt like she was going to throw up her intestines..  
“What… What the FUCK was that??”  
Taz flapped her tail against the blanket  
“You ate too much. That was a sugar rush”  
“Why.. Why didn’t you warn me??”  
Taz glared firmly at her  
_“I thought it was blindly obvious to not eat the whole thing.”_  
Mirian got a stark chill down her spine, and she leaned over to the other side of the bed to vomit profusely into the nearby water bucket.  
Taz wrapped one leg over the other, and watched her  
“There you go. Let it all out.”  
Mirian sobbed as she heaved a sweet-smelling, yet still putridly foul mix of liquids and solids into a bucket.  
Near the end of her spewing session, she felt two comforting hands massage her shoulders  
She looked back to see Taz sitting behind her, attempting to comfort the Dunmer

“Feeling a little better?” She asked  
Mirian groaned in a vaguely positive fashion  
“Khajiit call those who eat Moon Sugar like that ‘Sugartooth’. You don’t want to be a Sugartooth do you?”  
Mirian shook her head, then heaved for the final time.  
“Next time I have Moon Sugar, I’ll give you a very small amount”  
Mirian shook her head  
“Never again..” She mumbled  
Taz grinned and hugged her. Taking care to not get too close to Mirian’s face  
Mirian groaned and laid still.. Just wanting her misery to end…  
_“Lesson learned, huh?”_ Taz quietly muttered to her

It was with a cold, dead wind that roused Mirian to slowly open her eyes and gaze upon a dark, cavernous room  
She was lying prone on the floor, a chilling sensation coursing throughout her body as she struggled to right herself up  
As her gaze lifted from the stony ground, she caught the glimpse of a dark, shadowy figure standing before her  
Her vision cleared the more she righted herself up against the wall, until she looked upon the presence standing before her  
Her mind thought Skolas, yet his armour was not seeping with blood. Rather it was almost bone-dry.  
His giant axe was also absent. In its place was a greatsword as big as Mirian was tall, which he had positioned vertically, stuck into the ground as he glared down at her  
The only sound she could hear, was the heavy breathing of Skolas from under his enclosed helmet

“Where am I..” Mirian muttered  
Skolas grunted

 _“I expected better of you Dunmer”_ He growled, shifting his hands on the greatsword's hilt

Mirian groaned and held the back of her aching head  
“So kill me then and be done with it..”

_“There is no honour, nor delight to be made in killing that who is already defeated”_

She lifted her head to meet his glowering red eyes  
“Daedra.. Speaking of honour.. The irony of it..”  
Skolas’s eyes narrowed

_“You know not of who I am. Know that I only saved you, because I see potential, despite your crippling mortality”_

“You.. Saved me.. I thought you didn’t save people..”  
Skolas hefted the sword into the scabbard on his back

_“Consider yourself privileged then. Do not make me regret it”_

Skolas then dropped a glass-like object at her feet, and vanished in a sudden Oblivion portal.  
Mirian’s vision had mostly returned by now, and she took a quick gander at her surroundings  
She was in a cave by the looks of it.  
A blinding beam of sunlight came from an opening to her left, but she could barely make out the world beyond. All she could discern was a bog, with gloomy trees covered in mosses and lichen.

She then focused her attention at the thing Skolas left with her  
She clasped a shaking hand around it, and held it up in the creeping sunlight  
It was a bottle of a sort. With a red liquid sloshing around inside.  
She pulled the cork off and sniffed the contents.  
Everything about it resembled that of a healing potion. And a strong one at that.  
Not wanting to figure out how injured she truly was, she drank the contents. If this was a poison, then at least it’ll be quick.  
However, shortly after she finished off the bottle, she felt rejuvenated.  
The migraine at the back of her head vanished.  
Her veins tingled with energy, and her bones felt as if they were strengthened  
With a fluid motion, she sprang back up onto her feet and emerged from the cave into the sunlight.  
All around her was swampland and depressed trees, rising up from the marshlands like dull sticks. And with no sign of civilization anywhere..  
Nor any sign of Taz or Haxal..

A sudden awareness came over her, as she realized that she was separated. And most likely lost in the middle of the wilderness..  
Not that it’s the first time this happened.. But this time she literally had no earthly idea where on Nirn she was.  
For all she knew, she could be in Akavir..  
However, Skolas had rescued her from an untimely death. So she should have a modicum of respect for that.. And he did say that he saw potential in her.  
And for a Dremora to say that to a mortal with a straight face and tone was an accomplishment in itself..  
She took in a deep breath, and wandered down the hillside into the wilderness beyond.  
If there was ever a time to be an optimist, now was the time..


End file.
